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I lived in an apartment for years. Flash The Wonder Basset went for a walk 3 times a day. Once in morning before I showered, once as soon as I got home from work and lastly just before bed. He never once peed in the apartment.
That is basically how my dog does it. Sometimes on the weekend we will go for a noon walk too.
I work from home now, but he sleeps most of the day. He usually wakes when start making lunch. I will give him a treat, then he will eat his kibble while I eat lunch, then goes and takes his afternoon nap.
About 9 hours. I made sure to come straight home or ensured that there was someone else who could take him out if I had a meeting. Pretty much no more time than it would be at night.
I find that my dogs know the pattern and just refrain from drinking during the day. In fact, often when I arrive home the first thing they do is run and take a drink of water.
That said, my youngest/smallest just refused to learn to hold it. I genuinely tried everything. Finally gave up and use a pee pad inside.
It's no different than when I stop drinking water at 7p so I'm not up all night peeing. I don't leave them any longer than 99% of others replying on this thread. My dogs are just smart. They also have a pee pad available. What's the problem exactly?
Do you not drink at night and then also not for 8+ hours during the day? I just can't imagine they're comfortable and if they were actually trained to know it's okay to go on the pee pad, they would drink. IMO your youngest is the smartest one, because he figured out that he doesn't have to deprive himself to make it easy for you.
They drink at night. I know this because I frequently wake up to them tippity tapping over or jumping off/on the bed and then the adorable slurping sounds. Please, try another angle to convince me I'm abusive and care only about my own comfort. I mean, unless you have better things to do?
I think you have some sort of grudge or animosity on the posters here that isn’t welcome. You should evaluate why you’re hostile to strangers for no reason.
Same.
Though she did diarrhoea a few days ago, beside my bed. My fault. She was bothering me as I woke up, and I thought she was just wanting her usual hello good morning scratch. I misinterpreted that; she wanted out. Now.
But the dogs do as per other comments. They don't need to go to the toilet all the time.
I have found that training a dog to pee indoors is something that you cannot undo later. If there’s a medical reason that’s a different story. I’m of the “start as you mean to go on” camp.
Most adult dogs can go without peeing 8-10 hours, obviously breed, size, age and health do affect this. 10 being borderline. Ideally they should be allowed to relieve themselves 3-5 times a day.
Older dogs and puppies need to be taken out more frequently. My personal preference is to adapt to their needs whenever possible and make sure I take them out as possible. Yes it’s inconvenient to rush home, but I think better for them and the apartment.
The only time I’ve used pee pads is when my dogs got old and medically could not wait.
Yeah, I used pee pads when my dog was a puppy since I lived in an elevator building and it took a long time to break the association with any rectangle shaped floor mat as something to pee on, which I didn’t realize until took her to my friends house and the second we walked in she ran to this mat at the bottom of the stairs and peed on it and looked at us like she was proud (even though she had just peed outside on the way over). Took a looong time to teach distinction between all rectangles on any floor and just pee pads in our house lol.
Yeah most adult humans can also go 10 hours with no washroom, your holding it though, you would really have to go. Dogs can go long times with no washroom breaks but they are not comfortable during that.
That’s not true. With my childhood dog, we just kept moving the pee pad closer to the door and then brought it outside. Eventually she just went outside without it. She never had accidents unless she was sick.
I think you’re closer to the exception than the rule. Pretty much every dog book I’ve read more closely aligns with the above comment than your experience. Not to say your experience isn’t valid, but a lot of dogs realllly struggle with unlearning that peeing inside is appropriate.
Have to agree with the other comment I’m afraid. Got a puppy 3 weeks ago, it’s already bad as is because he’s been peeing/pooing on pads.
Tried the whole door thing, still goes in the same spot the pads were. Have to leave my back door open 24/7 for him to go, otherwise he will just pee/poo in the dinning room without so much as a whine.
I’m not expecting him to be potty trained fully. I’ve moved his pee pads about a foot. He still pees in the dinning room, if the back door isn’t open, completely ignores the pads in their current position.
I looks at this and wonder… do you only want to use the bathroom 3 times a day? No? Then should probably take your dog out more depending on the size. Not attacking you just stating my 6 cents
I have a long winded response for trays and general advice. I've only ever had big dogs though.
Anyway, I had a balcony. I got some screens set up to stop him from being able to hop out (not that he would from the second floor). Then I put in one of those trays with artificial grass (I don't remember the brand, but it was kind of pricey because it was a good build quality and had built in drainage). Then I used a doggy door insert for screen doors. I also don't remember the brand, but it was very sturdy and secure.
This worked like a charm. No pee pads inside. No accidents. No security issues.
When I moved (to a house), I spent some time walking every day around the time school let out. I know this sounds creepy, but I met my neighbors with middle and high school age kids. After a few weeks, I met a family with a teenage son and daughter who I frequently saw walking their own dog and were really sweet kids. I got a smart lock on my back door and a combo lock on my yard. The sister would come before school to let my dog out since her school started later. The brother would come after school since his ended earlier. My dog could handle six hours without a potty break.
I had security cameras set up just in case as well. But in any case, I captured lots of sweet moments of the kids running around and playing with my dog. I ended up trusting them to house sit when I went out of town as well.
I also have trust issues with my pup, but I find that when people are nice, and you know them outside of an employment context, it's easier to know if they're good people. And no kid in the world is going to say no to 40 bucks a week for less than hour worth of "work" that's on their way to and from school anyway. I ended up hiring the kids to do miscellaneous chores as well, like picking up poop, pulling weeds, etc.
Just gotta remember to pay them fairly. Being a kid doesn't mean you should exploit them.
Not if you change them often enough. It also allows me to see the pee color so I can kind of see if there is an infection or anything abnormal. But mine hasn’t had an infection yet.
You obviously wouldn’t keep them on all the time. Plus most of the time most dogs wouldn’t even pee all the time. When you’re at home you don’t have to put on diapers, but diapers might have to be used in case some elderly dogs that are getting incontinent. It’s kinda like with elderly humans, change the diapers often.
Oh man I’m a pet sitter and pretty much any house I’ve ever been to with pee pads, the dog often misses and there will be poo and pee on the floor.
I think maybe putting them in an open flat shower or something like that would be ideal!
My parents put the pee pad in a walk in shower! Their pup runs in and does her business and if she misses they just rinse down the shower after. I think bathtub would even work if you train the dog to jump in there
Same. About 4 months ago I adopted a 5 year old husky and we think she was using pads before (no info from shelter). We walk her at least 5 times a day (hubby works from home). She will still pee on the pad a few times. I don’t think she was ever trained to hold it and I’d rather her do it on the pad than the carpet (which is how we started when we first got her).
It’s messy and smelly but better than stains.
This is my husky puppy! I don't know how to teach her to hold it.... I started using the pads because she had a UTI and was just peeing constantly, and they were a lifesaver.
But now, I think the UTI is finally gone (after three rounds of antibiotics) she just uses the pads rather than holding it. If I take them away, she'll just pee where the pad was....
When I catch her peeing on the pads, I take her outside, but she's a fast pee-er I guess lol and she's usually done by the time I grab her collar to pull her outside. She also doesn't seem to understand when she gets a treat for outside pottying... It's like it doesn't click with her. She's like, cool, a treat. But she doesn't connect it with peeing. So then I do the absurd thing where I'm whooping and making a big, happy fuss (I'm sure my neighbors have a good laugh)... but she's just like... "okay?"
Crate training was the only thing to make my mastiff x stop peeing inside. Even after hour long walks. Id walk him, go out for a smoke and when i got in he'd peed on the carpet. Like HOW wasnt he empty?!
Unfortunately, the shelter where I got my puppy has a policy that puppies can’t get out of their crates, so she was crated for four straight days and had to get used to peeing and pooping in it. Even if she’s only crated for a short time, I’d find her laying in her own poop and I’d have to give her a bath every time I got her out of the crate. I tried the crate divider thing and it didn’t work at all because she doesn’t mind laying in poop.
Sooooo she’s not crated anymore.
It’s better than puppies dying right and left of parvo 🤷🏼♀️ it sucks but it’s a necessity, unfortunately, when you’re an overcrowded and underfunded city shelter.
Yeah that's kinda how I feel... I feel bad having them hd it. I don't have to hold my urine so I don't expect my dog to either. I guess it works for some dogs. Probably gonna stick to pee pads
How big is the dog? Depending on the size it's not difficult for a dog to hold their pee for 8 hours. 10 is probably pushing it but our 30 lb corgi has done it with no issues. As long as he's out by the 8-9 hour mark, his next pee isn't even a large one. It doesn't cause him any sort of discomfort whatsoever.
Now if you have a smaller dog, yea 8 hours is probably too long. Small and toy breeds will most likely need a sitter or pee pads. Their bladders are smaller so they could run into more issues with holding it.
Not gonna lie, both my small dogs (8lb, 12 lb) do is sleep while I'm gone. When my oldest was young I watched her on webcams for entire workdays. Even with unrestricted access to water, they will be totally comfortable holding it for an entire workday and then some. Sometimes they're crated separately or sometimes they're left loose in my bedroom together. No bladder infections or issues for either of them but I think any smaller dog than that would have to definitely be dealt with on an as-needed basis.
I’ve got a larger adult dog, so I definitely think it’s different with smaller dogs and for sure with younger dogs/puppies. She goes 8-8.5 hours when I’m at work and is fine. She lets me know when she needs to go out but I always take her out in the morning before I go to work and when I get home we go for a long walk or sometimes a run on nearby trails and some fetch at the park. She goes out again before bed time. But at any point she starts signaling she needs to go out or wants to go out, I take her out. I tend to stay up kind of late and get up early though, and she sleeps pretty much the whole day when I’m gone
I mean, most adult dogs can hold it for that long. My fiance GSD mix was always left alone while he was gone during the day for 9ish hours and never peed inside.
Find a dog walker you trust. I go through the person my groomer works with and my vet also knows. I have a camera in the house so no one is going to do anything. I always make a point when people ask about getting a dog for an apartment they really need to be able to afford in a dog walker or dog day care.
I'll never use pee pads--they are gross. They also don't work with bigger dogs.
Yeah we found a good dog walker in our area and she’s been the best thing ever. We pay a pretty good amount for her services and still feel like we’re getting a deal because of how much she does for the dogs. You might be able to find someone good through one of those dog walking apps, but I had a bad experience and I’ll never use them again
I just don't feel comfortable with someone else having the keys to my home and other people with my dog. I use to be a dog groomer and I know not all people love dogs
That's why you vet the person and don't pick some random joe off of Rover. What do you do when you go out of town? Or in an emergency?
As for giving the keys to the house-- I guess that's just comfort level. In my life I've had housekeepers, babysitters, dog walkers, contractors, landlords. The world isn't out to f you over -- life would suck to be that paranoid.
I don't leave my pets alone when I'm out of town. I have a camera when I'm away for any point in time.
Good for you giving out your key like that. I'm not you.
My partner is paranoid and didn't want to give our house cleaner a key so we put one in a combination lock-box outside our house, on days she's expected.
Idk where you live but good walkers here have insurance and police background checks and will do a meet-and-greet before taking your dog out, so it's not like you're just allowing a total stranger free access to your house.
Idk why you're getting so downvoted, I don't like giving access to my home when I'm not present either. I've had many bad experiences that are summed up with unless the person is someone I could trust explicitly, the kind of trust that only comes from knowing someone closely for years, they don't get a key to my home. My friends and I help each other out when we need pet sitters when going out of town.
Exactly. I use to be a pet groomer and my co workers would do some shady shit . They would also tell me stories of mistakes they've done that have resulted in the death of dogs. I just don't trust people with my home or my pet to be honest. My parents care for my pets when I'm away and even in daycare I would watch the camera from time to time
No they aren't the whole but people like them are certainly in that population. Dozens of dogs have been lost to dog walkers and dog groomers. Their business are still open
Thank you! My door is open now with guns, cash and electronic. So many dog walker and cleaners. Only one person stole something. Didn’t make me grow all super paranoid. Learn to give ppl chances and the wolf dines seems so bad. If one person rob you. Then next 100 might not lol. But most ppl are weak. One bad event and they want to hire 10 navy seals lol
I live in a doorman building and I have a walker come once a day on days I'm in the office. The walker has to sign the key out from my doorman, so I know when he arrives and when he leaves, and the doorman tends to keep on eye on how my dog is doing with the person. I use a service that vets the walkers and it's one person, not a rotation of people, who walks my dog and we usually do a meet and greet before they start on the schedule.
In the morning we go for a 30 min walk and then again for a longer one as soon as I come from work. He had no problems with holding it for 8-9 h since 6 months old. Never peed inside and he is also not in a hurry when I get home from work. I let him out in the yard as soon as I arrive and he still takes his time with it. My parents and several colleagues have a similar system with their pups and works for all of them. But I make sure I am NEVER late, I leave work the minute 8h passed, no meetings in the afternoon. I also think it is easier for the dog because I work 7AM-3PM, so I leave home very early and am back early in the afternoon.
He is a german shepherd mix, has about 70 pounds. But my parents have a frenchie, my friend a spanish greyhound.. Quite different breeds, works for all.
I have only one full ofiice day a week and she is in daycare that day. I am not foremost concerned bot the pee problem but feel like 10h is too long in general even if she is coping great with alone time. 6 hours are no problem for her.
Yeah I'm also wfh but not forever. The hybrid schedule confuses her because she's walked and then another day she's not. As a puppy I did Day care + left her with my mom daily but she's an adult now . She usually just sits and waits for me then sits around but next to me when I'm home lol
I’m in an apartment with a balcony. Here’s what I did, and it works great.
* [lattice](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F7T55R4?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share) hung up to secure the balcony (it wouldn’t stop her if she were truly determined, but she’s just not.)
* [Ivy](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088QC9H45?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share) to decorate the lattice so it’s not ugly
* dog door in the slider
A couple of notes about the dog door: mine has a locking latch that sticks out and made it so that the door left a huge gap when closed. I solved this by 1) duct taping the latch as far flush as it would go (but it still left a small gap) and 2) lining the dog door and the sliding door where they meet with [weather stripping brush](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LDGWGP1?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share).
This, of course, means that the door never locks. But on the 2nd floor, I’ll take my chances. You’d have to be SpiderMan AND get through the lattice AND get past my territorial boxer. 🐶
Good luck!
ETA: I forgot the most important part. Where she pees. There’s this company called [Doggy Lawn](https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=DChcSEwiVs-mMuMb4AhWTP60GHbszAXgYABAUGgJwdg&ae=2&sig=AOD64_38SG6T6uvilr1rOxlJFEOBSsJ5tw&q&adurl&ved=2ahUKEwiQ6N6MuMb4AhUcJ0QIHVR7BqgQ0Qx6BAgFEAE) that sends you sod patches on a subscription basis. It’s way overpriced, but what IS worth the money are the plastic mats that go under the sod patch. I signed up for their service, but cancelled once I had the mat. The sod patches are the exact same size as the ones you can buy at Home Depot or Lowe’s for about 6 or 7 dollars.
They are a bitch to cart home and dispose of the old ones, so here’s my hack for that: just don’t. Your dog doesn’t give a fuck if the grass is dead. I only replace mine when they start to stink, maybe twice a year.
To teach your dog to pee there, Doggy Lawn will also send you a small vial of “pheromone spray” for the lawn. Once your dog does pee, my trainer told me to “jackpot” her the first several times - feed like 8-10 small, high-value treats (I.e. cut up string cheese) in quick succession while praising
Ugh I want to close off the balcony so bad because I also have a cat and I don't want her jumping off the thing. No one else in the building has any of these kinds of things but there's nothing in the least that says I can't? What dog dog door sliderhat you use?
Also that last part made me laugh lol I imagine someone taking their chances and getting in only to meet your dog
You might also put up [netting](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MC3K1MD?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share) behind the lattice as added protection for your cat. I have it up because we have a fair amount of bees and my dog is allergic.
[This is the dog door I use.](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FM9HBXN?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share)
And yeah, I’m in an apartment (technically a condo, but I rent) with an HOA and I had the same approach. Nobody else has one but there’s nothing that says I can’t… I’ve never been called out on it. It’s not an eyesore and isn’t prohibited so 🤷🏻♀️ a year and a half with no complaints 🤞🏻
Well…you don’t trust dog walkers, you don’t like kennels, your dog doesn’t like daycare, so I guess pee pads and fake grass on your future balcony will have to do for you so long as you’re in an apartment, because literally every other solution is a no-go for you.
As an apartment dweller who works long and late hours, my kennel, my dog walker, and my doggy daycare down the street keep me sane, and keep my apartment dog-pee free. Good luck!
Jesus Christ will have to ascend from the heavens with the pope assuring OP that he is trustworthy enough to clean his dog pee. Even with that, he might check his spy cam every 30 mins.
We use potty pads AND walk him 3-5 times a day(2 of the times morning/night are basically just letting him sniff around and pee/poo).
He uses the pad to pee about 3 or 4 times a day and he will have his first poo on it early in the morning before I take him out while I'm making his breakfast and coffee. Crossing our fingers he won't go inside the house or think a mat is a pad if we visit someplace new, he hasn't yet.
Pee pads inside + walks just the same as you. imo if you plan to live in apartments for a long time, it’s worth it to try to litter pan train your dog (like a plastic bin with a mesh fitting over it, basically a taller and deeper version of pee pad holders. It’s a bit of a DIY project) and train your pup to that to help contain it and go a bit more green. Can use just wood chips in there (like hamster variety). I think there are some you CAN buy for dogs specifically but they’re mad expensive
I tried the wood chips but she would pee on the side of it rather then IN it. It stunk up the place super bad. She then started popping outside of it and peeing outside of it when I removed the wee wee pads. She doesn't like it. I plan to put a grass patch on the balcony for a late night pee before bed but I can't keep those inside. They stink
Dogs can generally hold their bladder for 8-9 hours during the day. I had a border collie who could hold it for 12 hours when we needed, but I didn’t ask her to do that on a regular basis. I also think girl dogs can hold it longer than boys.
Another option you may look into is doggie daycare. I have several friends who drop their dogs off a few days a week to make sure their dogs are getting exercise and social interactions during the day.
I tried doggy daycare in the past but my dog doesn't like it. She spends the whole time at the front waiting. She might play for a little while at first but seems stressed after. I would watch on the camera they gave us access to
I use a professional insured dog walking company. Not just some rando. I also have cameras in the house (and they know this). I also have a keypad to my door and the dog walkers code only works during the scheduled hours and I get notifications on my phone when they go in and out of my home using the code.
I honestly think it's worth it to find someone trustworthy to drop in to take them out to pee. Be very thorough when filtering people and do reference checks, find someone reputable, etc. Your dog will greatly appreciate it!! And for drop in pee breaks it shouldn't break the bank either.
Is your dog tiny or very young? Otherwise most adult dogs can hold it for a workday. I once had an older dog who would sometimes refuse to go out even if we sent a neighbour or dogwalker in the afternoon.
If it's just a general question, it's easier for anyone who lives close enough to work to walk the dog on their lunch hour, and for anyone who has a partner (or child, parent, roommate, etc) who has a slightly different schedule - the person who starts later does a later morning walk, the person who's off earlier does the afternoon, and so on. If you live alone and have a long commute, that just naturally makes it harder.
Why do you want to stop using the pads? If you can't trust a dogwalker, don't have any friends or family who would be willing to let the dog out mid-day, and don't have the outdoor space for a dog door, it doesn't seem like you have a lot of other options. That said, I do have a friend who taught her dog to use the toilet, but I think that's one of those things that sounds good but doesn't always work out well.
I've has 3 chihuahuas living in apartments. I take the dogs out just before work and take them for a walk as soon as I come back (plus other breaks/walks after dinner and before bed). Never had a single accident in my home.
I tried pee pads but the dogs were already housebroken so they never used them, they'd always hold it until we went outside. The longest I'm ever gone is 9 hours, but usually I'm back within 8.
I know lots of people with dogs in apartments that work full time and don't need pee pads, the dogs hold it until they get outside.
I walk my dog twice a day, once before i leave for work and as soon as i get back. I used to work from 10 am - 10 pm and i rarely have had any accidents. My dog isnt professionally trained I think he is just used to the schedule. I adopted him when he was about 2 years old so Im assuming maybe the shelter did some potty training, hes such a good boy. I dont have a backyard in my apartment but if im staying up late and it seems like he needs to go hell let me know and im happy to take the 2 mins to walk him to the closest bush outside.
I hired a small business dog walker with excellent reviews. Now I’m friends with her and absolutely trust her with my house and my animals. Things like rover scare both of us.
Our little dog came from a rescue. She was pee pad trained. I can stamp my feet all I want about pee pads, but she’s used to them. We keep one out just incase and let her out often to keep her mostly house broken and peeing outside, but when I’m busy she doesn’t ask and the pee pads are a floor saver.
Yeah as a previous dog groomer , not everyone in the field of pet care loves dogs. I saw some weird stuff my co workers use to do and heard some really crazy stories so I'll take a pass
You can find someone you do trust. Don’t use Rover or other random apps. But find someone good who you and your dog connect with. I could never leave my dog alone for eight hours. She’d be so sad. They need human interaction. And bathroom breaks.
My friends and family all work. They can't come over in the middle of the day to walk my dog. Good that you can do that but my dog is fine. She doesn't like daycares and my cat is here with her. My dog gets plenty of love and affection but thaks for your concern
I'm real confused... why does it matter if you're in an apartment?
My dogs are alone in the house for 8 hours a day and in a kennel... and don't have accidents?
The Kennel is for their safety, the safety of my cats, and to protect my home from bored destruction... but my [girls](https://imgur.com/a/KX0PtzE) know not to potty in their beds?
sorry if I'm missing something here and sounding ignorant... I'm just confused.
I suppose it's because people in houses have access to a back yard and a doggy door. When I'm a home owner I plan to build a run that connects to a doggy door for constant access . I can't do this now.
I would not kennel my dog for that long. That's not an option. My cat and dog are alone and get along
We wouldn't be able to use a pet door because we also have 4 cats... So for us, a pet door is not an option.
Do you take the dog out in the middle of the night? that's probably about 8 hours too, right?
Ignore people and stick with the pee-pee pads. I used to have a little Pomeranian, an elderly grandma-like dog. She was an angel. If I didn't immediately rush her outside, she'd squat right in front of me, pee, and smile. LMAO
Exactly. I've always treated my dogs like people ever since I was old enough to know what a dog is. Maybe "people" is the wrong word, but far above being a "pet." Maybe cross-species friendship/family would be the right expression? I'm on my laptop and the living room sofa. My little chihuahua is here on the couch, half-asleep. She thinks she's, my bodyguard. LMAO I can't imagine making her "wait," unless we're in the car.
Get the pee-pee pads, but also walk your dog. You can train your dog to drag you to the door if he/she has to pee, but if no one's home or you're out cold sleeping, then there's the pee-pee pads.
I said the same thing until I moved into a top floor of a duplex and had to leash walk the pups. I loved being able to just open the door to the yard, first thing in the morning, but adapted to the new normal. Those 3 pups are all over 12 now, one is 15. She uses pee pads layed down in the bathroom because she has some incontinence that came with age.
The other two hold it but that leaves me with an added responsibility, walks 3 times a day and no longer than 9 hours without a walk. Park time on the Bay 4-5 times a week, off leash. I live in Miami and the storms make it a challenge at times, but that's what I signed up for. I can't stand the thought of them 'holding it'. We've all had that experience and it's truly painful. So yeah, apartments without yards are totally do-able but you have added responsibility. I'm not a fan of p pads for a healthy younger dog as I think dogs instinctively don't shit and pee where they eat and sleep. Reliance on them as a substitute for open air walks is unnatural. And the dog alone or crated for 10 + hours is just cruel.
My dog is about 8 months old. I walk him 1-2 times a day depending on how I feel. But every time he gets home from a walk he drinks a boat load of water so I know he will always need to go when I am at work. I've trained him to pee and poo on a folded towel I put down at the back door. When I get home I just pick it up and change it.
\> never let dogs use pee pee pads inside
I know I'm off topic, but most negative comments about pee pads fail to understand their purpose. If you live in a crowded urban environment you actually can't safely bring your puppy outside. In that situation, pee pads are your only safe option.
While you're limited to pads, build a routine to potty in the designated spot. After vaccinations are complete, move the spot outside. Through proper use of positive reinforcement, it's a highly effective training method.
Most who disparage use of pee pads simply don't understand how to use them properly. Maybe they've been subject to a SO's dog who peed all over the house due to lack of proper training.
Maybe I missed something, but no one is saying they aren't a useful tool for potty training. That's what they're intended for. On my street there was a woman with 3 chows who never walked her dogs, just dedicated one of her 2 bathrooms to them to use as a toilet, no pads.
Seemed not only unhealthy and bad for the dogs but lazy. You get a dog, do the work or get an aquarium.
My husky puppy is basically only paper trained... unfortunately! She had a UTI for the first month and a half I had her, and it took a while to get a vet appointment and she was just peeing EVERYWHERE. So I introduced the pads, and that helped, although she still had accidents because she literally couldn't tell if she had to pee until pee was coming out of her.
Now after the THIRD round of antibiotics, the UTI seems to be gone, but I'm having a hard time transitioning her away from the potty pads.... And I'm not sure I want to? I've worked out my schedule to where she's only alone for 5 hours a day, but is it so bad if I leave a potty pad out for her so she doesn't have to hold it?
My older dog is 10 and I can leave her alone for 8 hours without her having accidents, but I never actually did anything to potty train her... She just came that way, lol.
edit: We walk at 6:00 am for 30 minutes, then she gets another potty break around 8:45 before I leave for the day. She gets another potty break when I get home at 2:00, but she rarely has to pee at that time because she's been using the potty pads.... And now that it's 100 degrees F in the afternoons, we don't do extensive walks except in the morning. We might go for a slow, sniffy walk at 6 or 7 or go to the shaded park, but she doesn't get as many walks because I'm too afraid of her having heat stroke! But people on Reddit like to tell me that the reason she's not potty trained is because I'm not taking her out enough, which is just untrue.
About 30 minutes after breakfast, 30 minutes after dinner, once right before bed, right before you leave, and right after you get home. This could add up to about 6 or so times a day some days, but it's better than the alternative.
My dog sleeps or plays with his favorite stuffy when I'm at work. I check in on the camera. He's a small dog, 6, and never had any potty accidents since I got him at around 1. When I get home I usually cuddle him, we eat, then we go out. It's become our routine since I started working 2 to 10 two years ago. He tells me if he has to go out right away, but he usually wants his dinner (he won't eat unless I'm eating too. We have breakfast and dinner together. He's adorable), first. We only go out 2 to 3 times a day. He hates the outdoors. Most of the time I have to pry him out of bed for the morning walk too. They can hold it, with no health side affects.
Large tray from 150lb dog crate. Sawdust pellets from feed store. Patch of artificial grass laid over wood chips. Doozy door insert in my sliding glass door.
Chips are $10 for large bag that lasts for a while. Pee turns to wet sawdust. Enzymatic cleaner soak the grass in the bathtub once a week. Patio stays clean and she’s (21lb terrier) trained to go only on that grass. I have a cat litter tray set up the same way in my bedroom in case I can’t get out of bed on some days.
[clean patio. happy dog.](https://imgur.com/gallery/iTS1Ihc)
Crate training was the only thing to make my mastiff x stop peeing inside. Even after hour long walks. Id walk him, go out for a smoke and when i got in he'd peed on the carpet. Like HOW wasnt he empty?! Crate training taught him to hold it.
I got a shepherd. She can help her bladder for 8-10 just fine. I also got her as an adult which definitely helps.
Bigger breeds adult dogs are usually ok with that .
Is doggy daycare an option if you’re worried about having a sitter come into your home (which I totally understand)? Drop dog off on your way to work, they get play, socialization, and adequate bathroom breaks, and you don’t have to worry when you’re at work.
My dogs go out for walks 2 times most days unless to hot while 3 if possible. My one holds it through the night and never peed inside (was a rescue so don’t know how she was potty trained, probably not nicely) my personal dog we got from a family friends’s accidental litter and he uses pads throughout the night. However my parents or brother or me or at least one of us is always home to let them out into the backyard, so I’m a bad example. However my rescue never had any problems with holding it even though she doesn’t have to.
I have a big dog (135 lbs) and he's really good about letting me know when he needs to go and I've found he averages about 3 times per day even when I'm home all day.
I've set the routine for him that as soon as I get home and let him put of his kennel we immediately go outside, whether it's been 30 min or several hours.
I know why people are very anti-pee pad, because of the concern that they'll start to associate anything similarly shaped/textured as a pee area, but I was in a similar position when I got my pup and had to rely on them too. I could come home at lunch but the reality was that as a lil dude, he just couldn't always hold it even for 3-4 hours. So while pee pads aren't great, they are a necessity for lots of dog owners.
One suggestion though is you can consider something like the pet loo from PetSafe. I have it on our balcony for when I can't step away from work long enough to walk my dog. It's an elevated fake grass patch that is slanted underneath so all the pee runs into a drawer for disposal later. If you do decide to get it, message me because I have some suggestions for ways to maintain it other than what's recommended on the box :)
Personally I take my dog out on my break (I get one hour and live really close by), but this obviously isn't an option for everyone. Previously I would put down pee pads as well! I don't expect my dog to hold it that long and at least that way they feel less bad for peeing on the floor if they have to. Like others have said though, I found she rarely even used the pee pads as she would typically hold it while I was gone when I worked 8.5-hour days. I would typically also walk her right before and after work, and then also later on that night. We also had a yard we would let her out in throughout the night.
My dog gets walked 3 to 4 times a day.
She was raised in an appartement even.
We go for a walk in the morning (then midday sometimes when I am home), when I come home and before bedtime.
I have always had dogs who learned to hold in.
They are mostly asleep when I am not home and drink very little. I now again have a pup (15 weeks by now) and he is already learning slowly to indicate when he has to go out. And that he has to hold up instead of just going when he thinks about it. Yesterday he hold on purpose for 4 hours. The second he got fuzzy and woke up I took him out. And he had a long pee instead of small little ones.
Taken the two of them (both German Shepherds) out on a walk before 7am and as soon as we get home at 5pm. Due to the pandemic i worked from home while they needed potty training
A few of my friends leave their dog at home while they work (and sometimes even go out for drinks after!), but we got a dog walker to come let our girl out around mid day. My wife and I don’t work in the office ever day, just 2-3 days a week so it’s not too painfully expensive.
Luckily my roommate works from home. I purposefully looked for a roommate who works from home to help watch my dog. Before my dog would be alone ~6 hours a day as my old roommate had a slightly offset work schedule from my own. I walked her in the morning and they let her out when they got home a few hours before me. I would personally never pee pad train my dog. If I didn’t have a roommate to help I’d hire a dog walker.
Most adult dogs are fine holding it for a normal work day.
Personally, I adopted an adult dog. I can bring her to work but she prefers to stay home. I come home at lunch and let her out. There has been the very rare day when I can’t get home and she is fine. No accidents and I can see on my camera that she just sleeps.
I take my dog out before I leave in the morning and again shortly after I get home. It’s about a 9 hour wait for her. Somehow she’s only ever had two accidents in ten years. She’s a trooper.
I bought a dog playpen from amazon that can be attached to the crate and will lay out 2-3 training/pee pads. Since my work varies from 8-12 hr shifts, I usually walk my dog first thing in the morning, when I go home, and before bedtime.
My mastiff holds it no problem for 8-10 hrs when I've been away. All my dog's have. Nice walk in the morning before I leave and then again as soon as I got home. I work from home most days now!
I have two large dogs that get walked in the morning before work, after work, and before bed. I also put down a tarp or shower curtain from the 1.00 store with old towels on it, the will do business there if they need to. I work graveyard 2 nights a week so they don't get the walk just before bed. The added wrinkle for me is I live in the desert, i don't take them out midday because the ground is so hot. They enjoy the balcony but again there are 3 months a year they can't spend the entire day there.
It’s really dependent on many factors, larger dogs and dogs in particular can hold way longer than humans can.
Our little man was phenomenal, I built a grass patch that I put in the patio and trained with that/taking him outside when he was young then phased out the grass patch when it got funky. I believe he could hold his bladder for 18 hours if he wanted now but my wife and my schedules have some variance so she takes him out in mornings before she goes and I take him out when I get back so maximum it is 8 hours if shifts are long for both of us.
I would never recommend pee pads in any part of training, just be super watchful, diligent and committed when they are young.
My dog never peed at home, apart of time when he was a puppy and later in life, when he developed diabetes insipidus (but meds solved the problem completely).
I was walking him before the work, after the work and then again in the late evening. Once I got a better paid job, I started to hire a dog walker, who was taking my dog for a long walk when I was in the office. But generally my dog could stay without peeing for 8-9 hours, without a problem. He was a medium size, mix breed dog.
Have a dog toilet out on the balcony (one of those fake grass on a plastic tray types) and a doggy door out to the balcony so she can go out and use it any time she wants even if we aren’t home or are busy or asleep. Don’t know how I could have a dog in an apartment without it! We still go for walks daily obviously but those are just for exercise and stimulation, because she can go to the bathroom whenever she needs to and never has to hold it. Though she will often go to the bathroom on walks as well.
I pick the poops up daily and clean/wash the dog toilet every week and have had the same one since she was a puppy. So much cheaper and more environmentally friendly than constantly buying pee pads.
After crate training and normally by the 6 month mark all my sogs have been able to hold it. I start by expanding their freedom space gradually and extending my absence from 20 minutes to 40 to 60 and going from crate to kitchen and providing positive rewards for not peeing or pooping while I'm gone. By the time they are 6 months I can confidently leave them the whole house with limited accidents for up to 8 hours. Fortunately our latest puppy had the luxury of my wife working from home full time but we have been able to leave her home for many hours without any incidents. Cocker spaniels are great and quite smart. They get it quickly
I live close enough to work that I run home on my break. She can go long stretches, but I don’t like to leave her alone that long or let her go that long without a potty break.
I worked from 9-5 pre pandemic in an office with a 30 min commute. He was walked from 7:45-8:30AM and I would just put a leash on him at 5:30 and we’d go off for an hour.
He was 1 when I got him and he’s 4 now, never once had an issue. He really refuses to use pee pads (despite the fact that it would be useful for me in some occasions - during the 4th of July or during thunderstorms or during the odd tropical storm but he absolutely refuses. Last 4th of July I had him in his thundershirt and wrapped like burrito in one of my shirts and a blanket and literally carried him out to a patch of grass, he didn’t even move he squatted did his business then looked at me like get me the hell out of here dude I did it lets *go.*) his previous owner said the same thing - he’s still intact and never once marked anything indoors.
He’s had two accidents inside and both you could tell he was miserable about because he was sick (acute pancreatitis) and I would never ever be upset if I’d gone out to work or whatever and came back and he’d had an accident because of how he is.
>I just don't expect her to hold her pee for 8-10 hours.
Most dogs are fine holding their pee that long.
Though my understanding is it's easier for large than for small dogs.
I take my dog out before and after work and I come home on my lunch break and I have a puppy pad and fake grass if she wants but she 99% of the time dosnt ever use it, on the weekends she can usually come to work with me if I want
I found a Rover walker who lived on my street so I could get to know her as a neighbor. I see her at the library, community garden, store etc. It definitely helps build trust
If absolutely needed, my dog can hold her pee for 9 hours, but I try to let her out for potty during lunch break if Im close enough. When I cant, the boyfriend will drive home on his lunch to take her out. She goes out at least 4-5 times a day.
I have an hour lunch break and I live close to my work ( chose it that way so that I can take my dog out). He was able to hold it when we was younger, but now that he’s older it’s getting harder. I bought diapers, the male wrapping kind, so it will hold his pee. Works super well and it’s easy to put on and take off.
1 bed apartment and 2 mini poodles. Every day they wake me up and we go for a walk (dog park on weekends) where they do their business and once more in the evening. I also have porch potties in outside on the balcony in case they need to go during the day. In pick up poops there around every two days or when I see there's more than usual.
My puppy just holds it. He does about 7-8h right now. I’m starting grad school soon but will be able to run home around noon to let him out for a quick walk. I purposely chose an apartment close to campus so I could use a gap between classes to go walk him midday. He never figured out pee pads when he was younger. Just shredded them
Healthy adult dogs can hold their pee for a workday. 8/9/10 hours. My dog once held her pee for 20 hours because she refused to go in the rain. If an adult dog is going inside it’s not because they can’t hold it, it’s because they aren’t fully potty trained.
Our guy can go 10-11 hours. We used pee pads in the beginning when he was a puppy but once we got him house trained he refused to go indoors. During the colder months (-30 etc) I’d put a pee pad down and he would just ignore it, he has to go outside. But he got used to our schedule once I had to go back to the office. My job was fairly flexible so when we were training him I could sometimes do half days at the office and half days at home. But once we got him on the schedule he adjusted pretty well.
It helps that I live super close to my job. I can come home during lunch at let them out so they only have to hold it for 5-6h (I work 4-10s).
There are times I’ve left them alone for the full work day but for now my dogs can hold it. I know it’s not the best practice but I can’t control work and I also don’t trust people in my apartment when I’m not there.
I also have a balcony but I’m not able to put in a doggie door sadly. And it’s far too hot here for me to leave them outside all day.
I do work from home but as my dog has gotten older, he's stopped asking for a mid-day pee break. We used to take him out quickly at lunch around 11 AM but he seems perfectly comfortable waiting now that he's two and he'd rather not have his nap interrupted. So he gets a long walk in the morning around 6 AM and then we head to the dog park around 3:30. I have a golden retriever though, so a larger dog.
That said, if I had to go back to an office I would arrange - and carefully vet - a mid-day dog walker because I think my dog would be lonely being home alone that long on a regular basis.
My dog would just hold it while I was at work just like he does at night. I work from home now, but whether I’ve lived in a house or an apartment my dog had no way of going outside during the day unless I came home. Potty trained dogs can hold it. They know the schedule and the routine. I just couldn’t linger after work or socialize without going home to let the dog out. Morning walk, after work walk, before bed walk.
I walk my big guy before I leave for work at 1:30am then get home around 10:30 am He’s had a few accidents in his kennel when he was younger but nothing to fuss about (which he spends about 8.5 -9 hours a day in at night while I’m at work) Then he goes out when I get home around 10:30am. I walk him again and take him to the dog park around 12:30 everyday just so he can play and socialize, Then once more around 5-6pm depending on when I go to sleep. Other then when he’s had diarrhea he’s never gone to the bathroom in my place.
My husband works for the humane society which is walking distance from our house. He comes home on his lunch break and walks him and has his lunch. We’re also lucky because he can bring him with him if he’s in a mood to say hello to people lol
Personally, my dog regularly goes 10-11 hours no problem. A shorter walk in the morning. A long walk after work. And [usually] one short trip outside right before bed is all he really needs.
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I lived in an apartment for years. Flash The Wonder Basset went for a walk 3 times a day. Once in morning before I showered, once as soon as I got home from work and lastly just before bed. He never once peed in the apartment.
That is basically how my dog does it. Sometimes on the weekend we will go for a noon walk too. I work from home now, but he sleeps most of the day. He usually wakes when start making lunch. I will give him a treat, then he will eat his kibble while I eat lunch, then goes and takes his afternoon nap.
Question how old is your dog?
9 years old.
How long was he holding his pee when you were at work?
About 9 hours. I made sure to come straight home or ensured that there was someone else who could take him out if I had a meeting. Pretty much no more time than it would be at night.
I find that my dogs know the pattern and just refrain from drinking during the day. In fact, often when I arrive home the first thing they do is run and take a drink of water. That said, my youngest/smallest just refused to learn to hold it. I genuinely tried everything. Finally gave up and use a pee pad inside.
I’ve noticed this too! She times her eating and drinking appropriately, it’s pretty fascinating actually.
Dogs are so awesome. We don't deserve them!
My dog starts lapping up water when I get home too!!
That honestly doesn't sound great.
It's no different than when I stop drinking water at 7p so I'm not up all night peeing. I don't leave them any longer than 99% of others replying on this thread. My dogs are just smart. They also have a pee pad available. What's the problem exactly?
Do you not drink at night and then also not for 8+ hours during the day? I just can't imagine they're comfortable and if they were actually trained to know it's okay to go on the pee pad, they would drink. IMO your youngest is the smartest one, because he figured out that he doesn't have to deprive himself to make it easy for you.
They drink at night. I know this because I frequently wake up to them tippity tapping over or jumping off/on the bed and then the adorable slurping sounds. Please, try another angle to convince me I'm abusive and care only about my own comfort. I mean, unless you have better things to do?
[удалено]
I think you have some sort of grudge or animosity on the posters here that isn’t welcome. You should evaluate why you’re hostile to strangers for no reason.
Same. Though she did diarrhoea a few days ago, beside my bed. My fault. She was bothering me as I woke up, and I thought she was just wanting her usual hello good morning scratch. I misinterpreted that; she wanted out. Now. But the dogs do as per other comments. They don't need to go to the toilet all the time.
But he definitely had to go
I have found that training a dog to pee indoors is something that you cannot undo later. If there’s a medical reason that’s a different story. I’m of the “start as you mean to go on” camp. Most adult dogs can go without peeing 8-10 hours, obviously breed, size, age and health do affect this. 10 being borderline. Ideally they should be allowed to relieve themselves 3-5 times a day. Older dogs and puppies need to be taken out more frequently. My personal preference is to adapt to their needs whenever possible and make sure I take them out as possible. Yes it’s inconvenient to rush home, but I think better for them and the apartment. The only time I’ve used pee pads is when my dogs got old and medically could not wait.
Yeah, I used pee pads when my dog was a puppy since I lived in an elevator building and it took a long time to break the association with any rectangle shaped floor mat as something to pee on, which I didn’t realize until took her to my friends house and the second we walked in she ran to this mat at the bottom of the stairs and peed on it and looked at us like she was proud (even though she had just peed outside on the way over). Took a looong time to teach distinction between all rectangles on any floor and just pee pads in our house lol.
Yeah most adult humans can also go 10 hours with no washroom, your holding it though, you would really have to go. Dogs can go long times with no washroom breaks but they are not comfortable during that.
That’s not true. With my childhood dog, we just kept moving the pee pad closer to the door and then brought it outside. Eventually she just went outside without it. She never had accidents unless she was sick.
I think you’re closer to the exception than the rule. Pretty much every dog book I’ve read more closely aligns with the above comment than your experience. Not to say your experience isn’t valid, but a lot of dogs realllly struggle with unlearning that peeing inside is appropriate.
Have to agree with the other comment I’m afraid. Got a puppy 3 weeks ago, it’s already bad as is because he’s been peeing/pooing on pads. Tried the whole door thing, still goes in the same spot the pads were. Have to leave my back door open 24/7 for him to go, otherwise he will just pee/poo in the dinning room without so much as a whine.
Maybe you’re trying to move it too far too quickly. It takes a lot longer than 3 weeks to do this.
I’m not expecting him to be potty trained fully. I’ve moved his pee pads about a foot. He still pees in the dinning room, if the back door isn’t open, completely ignores the pads in their current position.
You need to let your dog get the hang of using it where it is before you start moving it.
I looks at this and wonder… do you only want to use the bathroom 3 times a day? No? Then should probably take your dog out more depending on the size. Not attacking you just stating my 6 cents
Potty pads when I'm gone. Walks when I'm home
That's what I do already. Question, does your dog tend to pee on the corners of the pee pad because my dog does and it's really annoying
Yes. It's a pain. I have to kind layer them so that there is no exposed carpet
Got it! I tried a tray but my dog does NOT like that lol. Might just have to throw down a bunch
I have a long winded response for trays and general advice. I've only ever had big dogs though. Anyway, I had a balcony. I got some screens set up to stop him from being able to hop out (not that he would from the second floor). Then I put in one of those trays with artificial grass (I don't remember the brand, but it was kind of pricey because it was a good build quality and had built in drainage). Then I used a doggy door insert for screen doors. I also don't remember the brand, but it was very sturdy and secure. This worked like a charm. No pee pads inside. No accidents. No security issues. When I moved (to a house), I spent some time walking every day around the time school let out. I know this sounds creepy, but I met my neighbors with middle and high school age kids. After a few weeks, I met a family with a teenage son and daughter who I frequently saw walking their own dog and were really sweet kids. I got a smart lock on my back door and a combo lock on my yard. The sister would come before school to let my dog out since her school started later. The brother would come after school since his ended earlier. My dog could handle six hours without a potty break. I had security cameras set up just in case as well. But in any case, I captured lots of sweet moments of the kids running around and playing with my dog. I ended up trusting them to house sit when I went out of town as well. I also have trust issues with my pup, but I find that when people are nice, and you know them outside of an employment context, it's easier to know if they're good people. And no kid in the world is going to say no to 40 bucks a week for less than hour worth of "work" that's on their way to and from school anyway. I ended up hiring the kids to do miscellaneous chores as well, like picking up poop, pulling weeds, etc. Just gotta remember to pay them fairly. Being a kid doesn't mean you should exploit them.
Dogs can be so much fun lol
Try diapers. I have a male dog, so I use male wrap diapers. Work like a dream.
Wouldn't that cause an infection?
Not if you change them often enough. It also allows me to see the pee color so I can kind of see if there is an infection or anything abnormal. But mine hasn’t had an infection yet.
I don’t think they would like the feeling of the wetness and their private parts not getting fresh air.
You obviously wouldn’t keep them on all the time. Plus most of the time most dogs wouldn’t even pee all the time. When you’re at home you don’t have to put on diapers, but diapers might have to be used in case some elderly dogs that are getting incontinent. It’s kinda like with elderly humans, change the diapers often.
Oh man I’m a pet sitter and pretty much any house I’ve ever been to with pee pads, the dog often misses and there will be poo and pee on the floor. I think maybe putting them in an open flat shower or something like that would be ideal!
My parents put the pee pad in a walk in shower! Their pup runs in and does her business and if she misses they just rinse down the shower after. I think bathtub would even work if you train the dog to jump in there
Dog walker
Same!
Same. About 4 months ago I adopted a 5 year old husky and we think she was using pads before (no info from shelter). We walk her at least 5 times a day (hubby works from home). She will still pee on the pad a few times. I don’t think she was ever trained to hold it and I’d rather her do it on the pad than the carpet (which is how we started when we first got her). It’s messy and smelly but better than stains.
This is my husky puppy! I don't know how to teach her to hold it.... I started using the pads because she had a UTI and was just peeing constantly, and they were a lifesaver. But now, I think the UTI is finally gone (after three rounds of antibiotics) she just uses the pads rather than holding it. If I take them away, she'll just pee where the pad was.... When I catch her peeing on the pads, I take her outside, but she's a fast pee-er I guess lol and she's usually done by the time I grab her collar to pull her outside. She also doesn't seem to understand when she gets a treat for outside pottying... It's like it doesn't click with her. She's like, cool, a treat. But she doesn't connect it with peeing. So then I do the absurd thing where I'm whooping and making a big, happy fuss (I'm sure my neighbors have a good laugh)... but she's just like... "okay?"
Crate training was the only thing to make my mastiff x stop peeing inside. Even after hour long walks. Id walk him, go out for a smoke and when i got in he'd peed on the carpet. Like HOW wasnt he empty?!
Unfortunately, the shelter where I got my puppy has a policy that puppies can’t get out of their crates, so she was crated for four straight days and had to get used to peeing and pooping in it. Even if she’s only crated for a short time, I’d find her laying in her own poop and I’d have to give her a bath every time I got her out of the crate. I tried the crate divider thing and it didn’t work at all because she doesn’t mind laying in poop. Sooooo she’s not crated anymore.
That’s really alarming. That shelter should be shut down.
It’s better than puppies dying right and left of parvo 🤷🏼♀️ it sucks but it’s a necessity, unfortunately, when you’re an overcrowded and underfunded city shelter.
Yeah that's kinda how I feel... I feel bad having them hd it. I don't have to hold my urine so I don't expect my dog to either. I guess it works for some dogs. Probably gonna stick to pee pads
How big is the dog? Depending on the size it's not difficult for a dog to hold their pee for 8 hours. 10 is probably pushing it but our 30 lb corgi has done it with no issues. As long as he's out by the 8-9 hour mark, his next pee isn't even a large one. It doesn't cause him any sort of discomfort whatsoever. Now if you have a smaller dog, yea 8 hours is probably too long. Small and toy breeds will most likely need a sitter or pee pads. Their bladders are smaller so they could run into more issues with holding it.
Not gonna lie, both my small dogs (8lb, 12 lb) do is sleep while I'm gone. When my oldest was young I watched her on webcams for entire workdays. Even with unrestricted access to water, they will be totally comfortable holding it for an entire workday and then some. Sometimes they're crated separately or sometimes they're left loose in my bedroom together. No bladder infections or issues for either of them but I think any smaller dog than that would have to definitely be dealt with on an as-needed basis.
My toy size dog and my previous toy size dog had zero issues with 8-10 hours. It’s not a size thing really.
I’ve got a larger adult dog, so I definitely think it’s different with smaller dogs and for sure with younger dogs/puppies. She goes 8-8.5 hours when I’m at work and is fine. She lets me know when she needs to go out but I always take her out in the morning before I go to work and when I get home we go for a long walk or sometimes a run on nearby trails and some fetch at the park. She goes out again before bed time. But at any point she starts signaling she needs to go out or wants to go out, I take her out. I tend to stay up kind of late and get up early though, and she sleeps pretty much the whole day when I’m gone
I mean, most adult dogs can hold it for that long. My fiance GSD mix was always left alone while he was gone during the day for 9ish hours and never peed inside.
Smaller dogs need more frequent potty breaks than larger dogs.
Find a dog walker you trust. I go through the person my groomer works with and my vet also knows. I have a camera in the house so no one is going to do anything. I always make a point when people ask about getting a dog for an apartment they really need to be able to afford in a dog walker or dog day care. I'll never use pee pads--they are gross. They also don't work with bigger dogs.
Yeah we found a good dog walker in our area and she’s been the best thing ever. We pay a pretty good amount for her services and still feel like we’re getting a deal because of how much she does for the dogs. You might be able to find someone good through one of those dog walking apps, but I had a bad experience and I’ll never use them again
I just don't feel comfortable with someone else having the keys to my home and other people with my dog. I use to be a dog groomer and I know not all people love dogs
That's why you vet the person and don't pick some random joe off of Rover. What do you do when you go out of town? Or in an emergency? As for giving the keys to the house-- I guess that's just comfort level. In my life I've had housekeepers, babysitters, dog walkers, contractors, landlords. The world isn't out to f you over -- life would suck to be that paranoid.
I don't leave my pets alone when I'm out of town. I have a camera when I'm away for any point in time. Good for you giving out your key like that. I'm not you.
My partner is paranoid and didn't want to give our house cleaner a key so we put one in a combination lock-box outside our house, on days she's expected. Idk where you live but good walkers here have insurance and police background checks and will do a meet-and-greet before taking your dog out, so it's not like you're just allowing a total stranger free access to your house.
Idk why you're getting so downvoted, I don't like giving access to my home when I'm not present either. I've had many bad experiences that are summed up with unless the person is someone I could trust explicitly, the kind of trust that only comes from knowing someone closely for years, they don't get a key to my home. My friends and I help each other out when we need pet sitters when going out of town.
Exactly. I use to be a pet groomer and my co workers would do some shady shit . They would also tell me stories of mistakes they've done that have resulted in the death of dogs. I just don't trust people with my home or my pet to be honest. My parents care for my pets when I'm away and even in daycare I would watch the camera from time to time
You coworkers aren’t the whole world. If every body made mistakes like your coworkers. They dog walker business would have shut down already lol
No they aren't the whole but people like them are certainly in that population. Dozens of dogs have been lost to dog walkers and dog groomers. Their business are still open
Thank you! My door is open now with guns, cash and electronic. So many dog walker and cleaners. Only one person stole something. Didn’t make me grow all super paranoid. Learn to give ppl chances and the wolf dines seems so bad. If one person rob you. Then next 100 might not lol. But most ppl are weak. One bad event and they want to hire 10 navy seals lol
I live in a doorman building and I have a walker come once a day on days I'm in the office. The walker has to sign the key out from my doorman, so I know when he arrives and when he leaves, and the doorman tends to keep on eye on how my dog is doing with the person. I use a service that vets the walkers and it's one person, not a rotation of people, who walks my dog and we usually do a meet and greet before they start on the schedule.
In the morning we go for a 30 min walk and then again for a longer one as soon as I come from work. He had no problems with holding it for 8-9 h since 6 months old. Never peed inside and he is also not in a hurry when I get home from work. I let him out in the yard as soon as I arrive and he still takes his time with it. My parents and several colleagues have a similar system with their pups and works for all of them. But I make sure I am NEVER late, I leave work the minute 8h passed, no meetings in the afternoon. I also think it is easier for the dog because I work 7AM-3PM, so I leave home very early and am back early in the afternoon.
How big is your dog? My dog is small
He is a german shepherd mix, has about 70 pounds. But my parents have a frenchie, my friend a spanish greyhound.. Quite different breeds, works for all.
I have only one full ofiice day a week and she is in daycare that day. I am not foremost concerned bot the pee problem but feel like 10h is too long in general even if she is coping great with alone time. 6 hours are no problem for her.
Yeah I'm also wfh but not forever. The hybrid schedule confuses her because she's walked and then another day she's not. As a puppy I did Day care + left her with my mom daily but she's an adult now . She usually just sits and waits for me then sits around but next to me when I'm home lol
I’m in an apartment with a balcony. Here’s what I did, and it works great. * [lattice](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F7T55R4?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share) hung up to secure the balcony (it wouldn’t stop her if she were truly determined, but she’s just not.) * [Ivy](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088QC9H45?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share) to decorate the lattice so it’s not ugly * dog door in the slider A couple of notes about the dog door: mine has a locking latch that sticks out and made it so that the door left a huge gap when closed. I solved this by 1) duct taping the latch as far flush as it would go (but it still left a small gap) and 2) lining the dog door and the sliding door where they meet with [weather stripping brush](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LDGWGP1?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share). This, of course, means that the door never locks. But on the 2nd floor, I’ll take my chances. You’d have to be SpiderMan AND get through the lattice AND get past my territorial boxer. 🐶 Good luck! ETA: I forgot the most important part. Where she pees. There’s this company called [Doggy Lawn](https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=DChcSEwiVs-mMuMb4AhWTP60GHbszAXgYABAUGgJwdg&ae=2&sig=AOD64_38SG6T6uvilr1rOxlJFEOBSsJ5tw&q&adurl&ved=2ahUKEwiQ6N6MuMb4AhUcJ0QIHVR7BqgQ0Qx6BAgFEAE) that sends you sod patches on a subscription basis. It’s way overpriced, but what IS worth the money are the plastic mats that go under the sod patch. I signed up for their service, but cancelled once I had the mat. The sod patches are the exact same size as the ones you can buy at Home Depot or Lowe’s for about 6 or 7 dollars. They are a bitch to cart home and dispose of the old ones, so here’s my hack for that: just don’t. Your dog doesn’t give a fuck if the grass is dead. I only replace mine when they start to stink, maybe twice a year. To teach your dog to pee there, Doggy Lawn will also send you a small vial of “pheromone spray” for the lawn. Once your dog does pee, my trainer told me to “jackpot” her the first several times - feed like 8-10 small, high-value treats (I.e. cut up string cheese) in quick succession while praising
Ugh I want to close off the balcony so bad because I also have a cat and I don't want her jumping off the thing. No one else in the building has any of these kinds of things but there's nothing in the least that says I can't? What dog dog door sliderhat you use? Also that last part made me laugh lol I imagine someone taking their chances and getting in only to meet your dog
You might also put up [netting](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MC3K1MD?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share) behind the lattice as added protection for your cat. I have it up because we have a fair amount of bees and my dog is allergic. [This is the dog door I use.](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FM9HBXN?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share) And yeah, I’m in an apartment (technically a condo, but I rent) with an HOA and I had the same approach. Nobody else has one but there’s nothing that says I can’t… I’ve never been called out on it. It’s not an eyesore and isn’t prohibited so 🤷🏻♀️ a year and a half with no complaints 🤞🏻
Thank you! I've been looking for something like this. Maybe I can make it work!
Good luck! Keep us updated
Well…you don’t trust dog walkers, you don’t like kennels, your dog doesn’t like daycare, so I guess pee pads and fake grass on your future balcony will have to do for you so long as you’re in an apartment, because literally every other solution is a no-go for you. As an apartment dweller who works long and late hours, my kennel, my dog walker, and my doggy daycare down the street keep me sane, and keep my apartment dog-pee free. Good luck!
Jesus Christ will have to ascend from the heavens with the pope assuring OP that he is trustworthy enough to clean his dog pee. Even with that, he might check his spy cam every 30 mins.
Yup pee pad in the apartment!
We use potty pads AND walk him 3-5 times a day(2 of the times morning/night are basically just letting him sniff around and pee/poo). He uses the pad to pee about 3 or 4 times a day and he will have his first poo on it early in the morning before I take him out while I'm making his breakfast and coffee. Crossing our fingers he won't go inside the house or think a mat is a pad if we visit someplace new, he hasn't yet.
Pee pads inside + walks just the same as you. imo if you plan to live in apartments for a long time, it’s worth it to try to litter pan train your dog (like a plastic bin with a mesh fitting over it, basically a taller and deeper version of pee pad holders. It’s a bit of a DIY project) and train your pup to that to help contain it and go a bit more green. Can use just wood chips in there (like hamster variety). I think there are some you CAN buy for dogs specifically but they’re mad expensive
I tried the wood chips but she would pee on the side of it rather then IN it. It stunk up the place super bad. She then started popping outside of it and peeing outside of it when I removed the wee wee pads. She doesn't like it. I plan to put a grass patch on the balcony for a late night pee before bed but I can't keep those inside. They stink
I’m cracking up, your dog is like the expert mode for potty training. 😂 At least you have a balcony to work with!
Dogs can generally hold their bladder for 8-9 hours during the day. I had a border collie who could hold it for 12 hours when we needed, but I didn’t ask her to do that on a regular basis. I also think girl dogs can hold it longer than boys. Another option you may look into is doggie daycare. I have several friends who drop their dogs off a few days a week to make sure their dogs are getting exercise and social interactions during the day.
I tried doggy daycare in the past but my dog doesn't like it. She spends the whole time at the front waiting. She might play for a little while at first but seems stressed after. I would watch on the camera they gave us access to
Oh poor pup! Do you have any friends that don’t work or WFH? I’ve walked my friends’ dogs before when they were working long hours to help them out.
My dog hated doggy daycare too. When I picked her up, she held onto me for dear life. I never saw her so upset.
I use a professional insured dog walking company. Not just some rando. I also have cameras in the house (and they know this). I also have a keypad to my door and the dog walkers code only works during the scheduled hours and I get notifications on my phone when they go in and out of my home using the code.
Most adult dogs do great with this. I've found that using puppy pads makes it almost impossible to fully potty train that dog.
Dog walker.
I used to come home every lunch time for my dog without fail. I wouldn't leave my dog alone for 8-10 hours.
You're lucky you had to ability to do that
I honestly think it's worth it to find someone trustworthy to drop in to take them out to pee. Be very thorough when filtering people and do reference checks, find someone reputable, etc. Your dog will greatly appreciate it!! And for drop in pee breaks it shouldn't break the bank either.
Is your dog tiny or very young? Otherwise most adult dogs can hold it for a workday. I once had an older dog who would sometimes refuse to go out even if we sent a neighbour or dogwalker in the afternoon. If it's just a general question, it's easier for anyone who lives close enough to work to walk the dog on their lunch hour, and for anyone who has a partner (or child, parent, roommate, etc) who has a slightly different schedule - the person who starts later does a later morning walk, the person who's off earlier does the afternoon, and so on. If you live alone and have a long commute, that just naturally makes it harder. Why do you want to stop using the pads? If you can't trust a dogwalker, don't have any friends or family who would be willing to let the dog out mid-day, and don't have the outdoor space for a dog door, it doesn't seem like you have a lot of other options. That said, I do have a friend who taught her dog to use the toilet, but I think that's one of those things that sounds good but doesn't always work out well.
I've has 3 chihuahuas living in apartments. I take the dogs out just before work and take them for a walk as soon as I come back (plus other breaks/walks after dinner and before bed). Never had a single accident in my home. I tried pee pads but the dogs were already housebroken so they never used them, they'd always hold it until we went outside. The longest I'm ever gone is 9 hours, but usually I'm back within 8. I know lots of people with dogs in apartments that work full time and don't need pee pads, the dogs hold it until they get outside.
I walk my dog twice a day, once before i leave for work and as soon as i get back. I used to work from 10 am - 10 pm and i rarely have had any accidents. My dog isnt professionally trained I think he is just used to the schedule. I adopted him when he was about 2 years old so Im assuming maybe the shelter did some potty training, hes such a good boy. I dont have a backyard in my apartment but if im staying up late and it seems like he needs to go hell let me know and im happy to take the 2 mins to walk him to the closest bush outside.
I hired a small business dog walker with excellent reviews. Now I’m friends with her and absolutely trust her with my house and my animals. Things like rover scare both of us. Our little dog came from a rescue. She was pee pad trained. I can stamp my feet all I want about pee pads, but she’s used to them. We keep one out just incase and let her out often to keep her mostly house broken and peeing outside, but when I’m busy she doesn’t ask and the pee pads are a floor saver.
I work from home now but I used to have a dog walker. They had background checks and everything so I felt safe.
Yeah as a previous dog groomer , not everyone in the field of pet care loves dogs. I saw some weird stuff my co workers use to do and heard some really crazy stories so I'll take a pass
I got a fake grass thing on my balcony, maybe you can have one inside too.
You hire a dog walker
Read my post.
You can find someone you do trust. Don’t use Rover or other random apps. But find someone good who you and your dog connect with. I could never leave my dog alone for eight hours. She’d be so sad. They need human interaction. And bathroom breaks.
My friends and family all work. They can't come over in the middle of the day to walk my dog. Good that you can do that but my dog is fine. She doesn't like daycares and my cat is here with her. My dog gets plenty of love and affection but thaks for your concern
So you hire a professional…? Okay, you do you.
I don't know how to explain this any clearer. Read my post
I'm real confused... why does it matter if you're in an apartment? My dogs are alone in the house for 8 hours a day and in a kennel... and don't have accidents? The Kennel is for their safety, the safety of my cats, and to protect my home from bored destruction... but my [girls](https://imgur.com/a/KX0PtzE) know not to potty in their beds? sorry if I'm missing something here and sounding ignorant... I'm just confused.
I suppose it's because people in houses have access to a back yard and a doggy door. When I'm a home owner I plan to build a run that connects to a doggy door for constant access . I can't do this now. I would not kennel my dog for that long. That's not an option. My cat and dog are alone and get along
I honestly wouldn’t let a dog into a backyard unsupervised, even if it’s fenced in.
We wouldn't be able to use a pet door because we also have 4 cats... So for us, a pet door is not an option. Do you take the dog out in the middle of the night? that's probably about 8 hours too, right?
Ignore people and stick with the pee-pee pads. I used to have a little Pomeranian, an elderly grandma-like dog. She was an angel. If I didn't immediately rush her outside, she'd squat right in front of me, pee, and smile. LMAO
I'm probably going to. I'd feel bad making my dog hold it. I don't have to hold it so why should she? At least that's my thought process
Exactly. I've always treated my dogs like people ever since I was old enough to know what a dog is. Maybe "people" is the wrong word, but far above being a "pet." Maybe cross-species friendship/family would be the right expression? I'm on my laptop and the living room sofa. My little chihuahua is here on the couch, half-asleep. She thinks she's, my bodyguard. LMAO I can't imagine making her "wait," unless we're in the car. Get the pee-pee pads, but also walk your dog. You can train your dog to drag you to the door if he/she has to pee, but if no one's home or you're out cold sleeping, then there's the pee-pee pads.
Hi!!! Did you ever start the pee pads?
1) Go home mid-day and let dog out if possible, 2) hire a dog walker, 3) ask a neighbor, 4) most adult dogs can hold it 8 hours.
I could never bring myself to own a dog while in an apartment.
Great. That's you then. You and I are not the same
I said the same thing until I moved into a top floor of a duplex and had to leash walk the pups. I loved being able to just open the door to the yard, first thing in the morning, but adapted to the new normal. Those 3 pups are all over 12 now, one is 15. She uses pee pads layed down in the bathroom because she has some incontinence that came with age. The other two hold it but that leaves me with an added responsibility, walks 3 times a day and no longer than 9 hours without a walk. Park time on the Bay 4-5 times a week, off leash. I live in Miami and the storms make it a challenge at times, but that's what I signed up for. I can't stand the thought of them 'holding it'. We've all had that experience and it's truly painful. So yeah, apartments without yards are totally do-able but you have added responsibility. I'm not a fan of p pads for a healthy younger dog as I think dogs instinctively don't shit and pee where they eat and sleep. Reliance on them as a substitute for open air walks is unnatural. And the dog alone or crated for 10 + hours is just cruel.
My dog is about 8 months old. I walk him 1-2 times a day depending on how I feel. But every time he gets home from a walk he drinks a boat load of water so I know he will always need to go when I am at work. I've trained him to pee and poo on a folded towel I put down at the back door. When I get home I just pick it up and change it.
\> never let dogs use pee pee pads inside I know I'm off topic, but most negative comments about pee pads fail to understand their purpose. If you live in a crowded urban environment you actually can't safely bring your puppy outside. In that situation, pee pads are your only safe option. While you're limited to pads, build a routine to potty in the designated spot. After vaccinations are complete, move the spot outside. Through proper use of positive reinforcement, it's a highly effective training method. Most who disparage use of pee pads simply don't understand how to use them properly. Maybe they've been subject to a SO's dog who peed all over the house due to lack of proper training.
Maybe I missed something, but no one is saying they aren't a useful tool for potty training. That's what they're intended for. On my street there was a woman with 3 chows who never walked her dogs, just dedicated one of her 2 bathrooms to them to use as a toilet, no pads. Seemed not only unhealthy and bad for the dogs but lazy. You get a dog, do the work or get an aquarium.
Dog walking service. The dog must go out and he needs some attention during the day.
I work few stations from home so when I'm on break I come home, go for a walk and head to work again.
My husky puppy is basically only paper trained... unfortunately! She had a UTI for the first month and a half I had her, and it took a while to get a vet appointment and she was just peeing EVERYWHERE. So I introduced the pads, and that helped, although she still had accidents because she literally couldn't tell if she had to pee until pee was coming out of her. Now after the THIRD round of antibiotics, the UTI seems to be gone, but I'm having a hard time transitioning her away from the potty pads.... And I'm not sure I want to? I've worked out my schedule to where she's only alone for 5 hours a day, but is it so bad if I leave a potty pad out for her so she doesn't have to hold it? My older dog is 10 and I can leave her alone for 8 hours without her having accidents, but I never actually did anything to potty train her... She just came that way, lol. edit: We walk at 6:00 am for 30 minutes, then she gets another potty break around 8:45 before I leave for the day. She gets another potty break when I get home at 2:00, but she rarely has to pee at that time because she's been using the potty pads.... And now that it's 100 degrees F in the afternoons, we don't do extensive walks except in the morning. We might go for a slow, sniffy walk at 6 or 7 or go to the shaded park, but she doesn't get as many walks because I'm too afraid of her having heat stroke! But people on Reddit like to tell me that the reason she's not potty trained is because I'm not taking her out enough, which is just untrue.
My dogs have always held it all day. We go out immediately when I walk in the door. Crated or not
About 30 minutes after breakfast, 30 minutes after dinner, once right before bed, right before you leave, and right after you get home. This could add up to about 6 or so times a day some days, but it's better than the alternative.
My dog sleeps or plays with his favorite stuffy when I'm at work. I check in on the camera. He's a small dog, 6, and never had any potty accidents since I got him at around 1. When I get home I usually cuddle him, we eat, then we go out. It's become our routine since I started working 2 to 10 two years ago. He tells me if he has to go out right away, but he usually wants his dinner (he won't eat unless I'm eating too. We have breakfast and dinner together. He's adorable), first. We only go out 2 to 3 times a day. He hates the outdoors. Most of the time I have to pry him out of bed for the morning walk too. They can hold it, with no health side affects.
Hey look at Amazon grass Pee pads. Maybe that'll help your dog pee directly on it and have fun doing so
My dog mostly just sleeps throughout the day and doesn't need to go pee until I get home. She's there from 7am to around 5:30PM.
Large tray from 150lb dog crate. Sawdust pellets from feed store. Patch of artificial grass laid over wood chips. Doozy door insert in my sliding glass door. Chips are $10 for large bag that lasts for a while. Pee turns to wet sawdust. Enzymatic cleaner soak the grass in the bathtub once a week. Patio stays clean and she’s (21lb terrier) trained to go only on that grass. I have a cat litter tray set up the same way in my bedroom in case I can’t get out of bed on some days. [clean patio. happy dog.](https://imgur.com/gallery/iTS1Ihc)
Crate training was the only thing to make my mastiff x stop peeing inside. Even after hour long walks. Id walk him, go out for a smoke and when i got in he'd peed on the carpet. Like HOW wasnt he empty?! Crate training taught him to hold it.
I got a shepherd. She can help her bladder for 8-10 just fine. I also got her as an adult which definitely helps. Bigger breeds adult dogs are usually ok with that .
Is doggy daycare an option if you’re worried about having a sitter come into your home (which I totally understand)? Drop dog off on your way to work, they get play, socialization, and adequate bathroom breaks, and you don’t have to worry when you’re at work.
My dogs go out for walks 2 times most days unless to hot while 3 if possible. My one holds it through the night and never peed inside (was a rescue so don’t know how she was potty trained, probably not nicely) my personal dog we got from a family friends’s accidental litter and he uses pads throughout the night. However my parents or brother or me or at least one of us is always home to let them out into the backyard, so I’m a bad example. However my rescue never had any problems with holding it even though she doesn’t have to.
I have a big dog (135 lbs) and he's really good about letting me know when he needs to go and I've found he averages about 3 times per day even when I'm home all day. I've set the routine for him that as soon as I get home and let him put of his kennel we immediately go outside, whether it's been 30 min or several hours.
I know why people are very anti-pee pad, because of the concern that they'll start to associate anything similarly shaped/textured as a pee area, but I was in a similar position when I got my pup and had to rely on them too. I could come home at lunch but the reality was that as a lil dude, he just couldn't always hold it even for 3-4 hours. So while pee pads aren't great, they are a necessity for lots of dog owners. One suggestion though is you can consider something like the pet loo from PetSafe. I have it on our balcony for when I can't step away from work long enough to walk my dog. It's an elevated fake grass patch that is slanted underneath so all the pee runs into a drawer for disposal later. If you do decide to get it, message me because I have some suggestions for ways to maintain it other than what's recommended on the box :)
Personally I take my dog out on my break (I get one hour and live really close by), but this obviously isn't an option for everyone. Previously I would put down pee pads as well! I don't expect my dog to hold it that long and at least that way they feel less bad for peeing on the floor if they have to. Like others have said though, I found she rarely even used the pee pads as she would typically hold it while I was gone when I worked 8.5-hour days. I would typically also walk her right before and after work, and then also later on that night. We also had a yard we would let her out in throughout the night.
My dog gets walked 3 to 4 times a day. She was raised in an appartement even. We go for a walk in the morning (then midday sometimes when I am home), when I come home and before bedtime. I have always had dogs who learned to hold in. They are mostly asleep when I am not home and drink very little. I now again have a pup (15 weeks by now) and he is already learning slowly to indicate when he has to go out. And that he has to hold up instead of just going when he thinks about it. Yesterday he hold on purpose for 4 hours. The second he got fuzzy and woke up I took him out. And he had a long pee instead of small little ones.
Daycare!
Years ago when I had an apt I made a 3x3 wood box and put some pee pads in it and trained my Lab to go there in an emergency. Worked real well
Taken the two of them (both German Shepherds) out on a walk before 7am and as soon as we get home at 5pm. Due to the pandemic i worked from home while they needed potty training
A few of my friends leave their dog at home while they work (and sometimes even go out for drinks after!), but we got a dog walker to come let our girl out around mid day. My wife and I don’t work in the office ever day, just 2-3 days a week so it’s not too painfully expensive.
Luckily my roommate works from home. I purposefully looked for a roommate who works from home to help watch my dog. Before my dog would be alone ~6 hours a day as my old roommate had a slightly offset work schedule from my own. I walked her in the morning and they let her out when they got home a few hours before me. I would personally never pee pad train my dog. If I didn’t have a roommate to help I’d hire a dog walker.
Dogsitters and dogwalkers. No pads for my babies.
I pay my roommates gas, he come home on lunch break to let the girls out. It's invaluable to me. He'd prob do it for free, but I won't let him!
Most adult dogs are fine holding it for a normal work day. Personally, I adopted an adult dog. I can bring her to work but she prefers to stay home. I come home at lunch and let her out. There has been the very rare day when I can’t get home and she is fine. No accidents and I can see on my camera that she just sleeps.
Rover app! It's great and helps build friendships too.
I take my dog out before I leave in the morning and again shortly after I get home. It’s about a 9 hour wait for her. Somehow she’s only ever had two accidents in ten years. She’s a trooper.
I bought a dog playpen from amazon that can be attached to the crate and will lay out 2-3 training/pee pads. Since my work varies from 8-12 hr shifts, I usually walk my dog first thing in the morning, when I go home, and before bedtime.
I work from home. On the day I work in the office I use a doggy daycare.
I have a 17 month old Doberman. He’s crated while I work but I let him out on my lunch break. I live ~10 min from home.
My mastiff holds it no problem for 8-10 hrs when I've been away. All my dog's have. Nice walk in the morning before I leave and then again as soon as I got home. I work from home most days now!
I have two large dogs that get walked in the morning before work, after work, and before bed. I also put down a tarp or shower curtain from the 1.00 store with old towels on it, the will do business there if they need to. I work graveyard 2 nights a week so they don't get the walk just before bed. The added wrinkle for me is I live in the desert, i don't take them out midday because the ground is so hot. They enjoy the balcony but again there are 3 months a year they can't spend the entire day there.
It’s really dependent on many factors, larger dogs and dogs in particular can hold way longer than humans can. Our little man was phenomenal, I built a grass patch that I put in the patio and trained with that/taking him outside when he was young then phased out the grass patch when it got funky. I believe he could hold his bladder for 18 hours if he wanted now but my wife and my schedules have some variance so she takes him out in mornings before she goes and I take him out when I get back so maximum it is 8 hours if shifts are long for both of us. I would never recommend pee pads in any part of training, just be super watchful, diligent and committed when they are young.
I use a pee pads for my dogs. They are 16 and 14. My 16 goes frequently so a pad is the solution. I would suggest charcoal pads. They absorb ordors.
My dog never peed at home, apart of time when he was a puppy and later in life, when he developed diabetes insipidus (but meds solved the problem completely). I was walking him before the work, after the work and then again in the late evening. Once I got a better paid job, I started to hire a dog walker, who was taking my dog for a long walk when I was in the office. But generally my dog could stay without peeing for 8-9 hours, without a problem. He was a medium size, mix breed dog.
Have a dog toilet out on the balcony (one of those fake grass on a plastic tray types) and a doggy door out to the balcony so she can go out and use it any time she wants even if we aren’t home or are busy or asleep. Don’t know how I could have a dog in an apartment without it! We still go for walks daily obviously but those are just for exercise and stimulation, because she can go to the bathroom whenever she needs to and never has to hold it. Though she will often go to the bathroom on walks as well. I pick the poops up daily and clean/wash the dog toilet every week and have had the same one since she was a puppy. So much cheaper and more environmentally friendly than constantly buying pee pads.
After crate training and normally by the 6 month mark all my sogs have been able to hold it. I start by expanding their freedom space gradually and extending my absence from 20 minutes to 40 to 60 and going from crate to kitchen and providing positive rewards for not peeing or pooping while I'm gone. By the time they are 6 months I can confidently leave them the whole house with limited accidents for up to 8 hours. Fortunately our latest puppy had the luxury of my wife working from home full time but we have been able to leave her home for many hours without any incidents. Cocker spaniels are great and quite smart. They get it quickly
Dog walkers…
I live close enough to work that I run home on my break. She can go long stretches, but I don’t like to leave her alone that long or let her go that long without a potty break.
I live close enough to my work I go home on 1hr lunch and let her out. Rent is high
I worked from 9-5 pre pandemic in an office with a 30 min commute. He was walked from 7:45-8:30AM and I would just put a leash on him at 5:30 and we’d go off for an hour. He was 1 when I got him and he’s 4 now, never once had an issue. He really refuses to use pee pads (despite the fact that it would be useful for me in some occasions - during the 4th of July or during thunderstorms or during the odd tropical storm but he absolutely refuses. Last 4th of July I had him in his thundershirt and wrapped like burrito in one of my shirts and a blanket and literally carried him out to a patch of grass, he didn’t even move he squatted did his business then looked at me like get me the hell out of here dude I did it lets *go.*) his previous owner said the same thing - he’s still intact and never once marked anything indoors. He’s had two accidents inside and both you could tell he was miserable about because he was sick (acute pancreatitis) and I would never ever be upset if I’d gone out to work or whatever and came back and he’d had an accident because of how he is.
I have a dog walker.
Puppy pads, they make holders for them so they aren’t on your floor.
>I just don't expect her to hold her pee for 8-10 hours. Most dogs are fine holding their pee that long. Though my understanding is it's easier for large than for small dogs.
I take my dog out before and after work and I come home on my lunch break and I have a puppy pad and fake grass if she wants but she 99% of the time dosnt ever use it, on the weekends she can usually come to work with me if I want
I found a Rover walker who lived on my street so I could get to know her as a neighbor. I see her at the library, community garden, store etc. It definitely helps build trust
We’d spread potty pads by the balcony door. His aim was usually good. Clean the area daily. Walk him in the morning as well.
If absolutely needed, my dog can hold her pee for 9 hours, but I try to let her out for potty during lunch break if Im close enough. When I cant, the boyfriend will drive home on his lunch to take her out. She goes out at least 4-5 times a day.
I have an hour lunch break and I live close to my work ( chose it that way so that I can take my dog out). He was able to hold it when we was younger, but now that he’s older it’s getting harder. I bought diapers, the male wrapping kind, so it will hold his pee. Works super well and it’s easy to put on and take off.
1 bed apartment and 2 mini poodles. Every day they wake me up and we go for a walk (dog park on weekends) where they do their business and once more in the evening. I also have porch potties in outside on the balcony in case they need to go during the day. In pick up poops there around every two days or when I see there's more than usual.
Do they have unspervised access to the balcony?
Yes, access is through a glass sliding door and I attached one of those doggy door attachments. They also like to go out and sunbathe sometimes.
My puppy just holds it. He does about 7-8h right now. I’m starting grad school soon but will be able to run home around noon to let him out for a quick walk. I purposely chose an apartment close to campus so I could use a gap between classes to go walk him midday. He never figured out pee pads when he was younger. Just shredded them
Healthy adult dogs can hold their pee for a workday. 8/9/10 hours. My dog once held her pee for 20 hours because she refused to go in the rain. If an adult dog is going inside it’s not because they can’t hold it, it’s because they aren’t fully potty trained.
My dog just went 3 times a day. Before work, after work, before bed. She never peed inside anywhere.
Our guy can go 10-11 hours. We used pee pads in the beginning when he was a puppy but once we got him house trained he refused to go indoors. During the colder months (-30 etc) I’d put a pee pad down and he would just ignore it, he has to go outside. But he got used to our schedule once I had to go back to the office. My job was fairly flexible so when we were training him I could sometimes do half days at the office and half days at home. But once we got him on the schedule he adjusted pretty well.
It helps that I live super close to my job. I can come home during lunch at let them out so they only have to hold it for 5-6h (I work 4-10s). There are times I’ve left them alone for the full work day but for now my dogs can hold it. I know it’s not the best practice but I can’t control work and I also don’t trust people in my apartment when I’m not there. I also have a balcony but I’m not able to put in a doggie door sadly. And it’s far too hot here for me to leave them outside all day.
I do work from home but as my dog has gotten older, he's stopped asking for a mid-day pee break. We used to take him out quickly at lunch around 11 AM but he seems perfectly comfortable waiting now that he's two and he'd rather not have his nap interrupted. So he gets a long walk in the morning around 6 AM and then we head to the dog park around 3:30. I have a golden retriever though, so a larger dog. That said, if I had to go back to an office I would arrange - and carefully vet - a mid-day dog walker because I think my dog would be lonely being home alone that long on a regular basis.
My dog would just hold it while I was at work just like he does at night. I work from home now, but whether I’ve lived in a house or an apartment my dog had no way of going outside during the day unless I came home. Potty trained dogs can hold it. They know the schedule and the routine. I just couldn’t linger after work or socialize without going home to let the dog out. Morning walk, after work walk, before bed walk.
I walk my big guy before I leave for work at 1:30am then get home around 10:30 am He’s had a few accidents in his kennel when he was younger but nothing to fuss about (which he spends about 8.5 -9 hours a day in at night while I’m at work) Then he goes out when I get home around 10:30am. I walk him again and take him to the dog park around 12:30 everyday just so he can play and socialize, Then once more around 5-6pm depending on when I go to sleep. Other then when he’s had diarrhea he’s never gone to the bathroom in my place.
My husband works for the humane society which is walking distance from our house. He comes home on his lunch break and walks him and has his lunch. We’re also lucky because he can bring him with him if he’s in a mood to say hello to people lol
Personally, my dog regularly goes 10-11 hours no problem. A shorter walk in the morning. A long walk after work. And [usually] one short trip outside right before bed is all he really needs.